Mythbusting

Only real psychology here please

Dr. Gordon Wright

The most common questions Psych Students get asked

Introduce yourself, Gordon

  • Unfortunately, none of the interesting psychologists are here today.

  • So you are stuck with me.

  • I am sorry to say that I spend lots of my time lecturing Research Methods and Statistics.

  • We take that seriously here at Goldsmiths.

We are just about to introduce next year’s Y2 research topics

  • Independent choice of topics

  • Work as a group

  • Run a real exxperiment using Qual and Quant techniques

  • And yes, Analyse the data!

This year was a bit of a nightmare…

Let me tell you why!

Can you read my mind?

Mind-reading for real

Die in the cup task

The Science of Mind Reading

  • Psychological research reveals we can detect subtle nonverbal cues that appear like mind reading
  • Psychologists study subconscious communication through microexpressions and body language
  • Professional “mind readers” utilize techniques like cold reading, warm reading, and hot reading
  • Brain imaging studies show how we predict others’ intentions through mirror neurons and theory of mind

Techniques Behind “Mind Reading”

Scientific Explanations

  • Unconscious behavioral cues
  • Implicit pattern recognition
  • Skilled observation of reactions
  • Statistical guessing with feedback

Real-World Applications

  • Clinical psychology assessments
  • Law enforcement interrogations
  • Marketing and consumer research
  • Human-computer interaction design

Are you profiling me?

The Psychology of Environmental Profiling

  • Research shows personal spaces contain “behavioral residue” that reveals personality traits
  • Psychologists can analyze bedrooms, offices, and social media profiles for accurate personality insights
  • Gosling’s research demonstrates how possessions and environment reflect our “extended self”
  • The field of psychogeography explores how personal spaces both shape and reflect identity

What Your Stuff Says About You

What We Can Actually Tell

  • Conscientiousness from organization
  • Openness from variety of books/music
  • Extraversion from memorabilia
  • Emotional stability from photo content

Ethical Considerations

  • Consent and privacy boundaries
  • Avoiding stereotyping
  • Cultural context differences
  • Responsible use of information

Can you seduce anyone?

The Science of Rapport Building

  • Psychological research identifies specific techniques that build authentic connection
  • Mirroring and behavioral synchrony create unconscious feelings of affinity
  • Self-disclosure and active listening promote oxytocin release and interpersonal bonding
  • Cialdini’s principles of influence explain persuasion effects in social contexts

Building Genuine Connection

Empirically-Validated Techniques

  • Maintained eye contact (70% listening)
  • Subtle mirroring of posture and speech
  • Asking follow-up questions
  • Using person’s name appropriately

Beyond Manipulation

  • Authentic interest vs. manipulation
  • Ethics of interpersonal influence
  • Building meaningful relationships
  • Applying research responsibly

Do you like People Watching?

The Science of Social Observation

  • People-watching is a sophisticated cognitive process studied in social perception research
  • Psychologists analyze “third-party encounters” to understand how we interpret social interactions
  • We form accurate impressions about relationships, status, and intentions within seconds
  • Brain studies reveal specialized neural networks dedicated to processing social dynamics

How We Make Sense of Social Interactions

What We Can Detect

  • Relationship types (friends vs. strangers)
  • Power dynamics and social status
  • Romantic interest and attraction
  • Cultural norms and violations

Research Applications

  • Clinical assessments (e.g., autism)
  • Cross-cultural understanding
  • Artificial intelligence development
  • Urban planning and public spaces

Can you do tricks like Derren Brown?

The Psychology of Cold Reading

  • Cold reading uses psychological principles to create illusion of mind reading or clairvoyance
  • Techniques include Barnum statements, observation, and probability-based guessing
  • Psychologists study these methods to understand belief formation and cognitive biases
  • The ideomotor effect explains unconscious movements in techniques like pendulum swinging

The Science Behind the Performance

The Science Behind the Performance 2

Psychological Mechanisms

  • Confirmation bias in interpretation
  • Subjective validation effects
  • Availability heuristics
  • The Forer (Barnum) effect

Critical Thinking Tools

  • Distinguishing skill from deception
  • Understanding suggestibility
  • Recognizing statistical tricks
  • Ethical entertainment vs. exploitation

Can you Sherlock me?

The Science of Personality Prediction

  • Research shows personality traits can be predicted from behavioral patterns and preferences
  • The “Big Five” traits provide a scientific framework for understanding stable dimensions
  • Digital footprints on social media can reveal personality with surprising accuracy
  • Behavioral economics uses “nudges” based on personality insights to influence decisions

Predicting Personality from Behavior

What Science Can Actually Predict

  • Career preferences from personality traits
  • Consumer choices from values
  • Social behavior from attachment style
  • Digital behavior from cognitive style

MINDSPACE Framework

  • Messenger: who communicates matters
  • Incentives: response to rewards/penalties
  • Norms: influence of social expectations
  • Defaults: tendency to accept preset options
  • Salience: attention to novel/relevant items

Just because we are

  • Debunking myths in human behavior
  • Understanding the ethics of influence and perception
  • Thinking Critically about popular psychological claims
  • How to appreciate the complexity of the human mind

Doesn’t mean we have to be boring, and not use cool toys!

Thank You

Contact Information: g.wright@gold.ac.uk